|
|
|
| 1:00 PM PT2:00 PM MT3:00 PM CT4:00 PM ET20:00 GMT4:00 1:00 PM MST3:00 PM EST0:00 UAE (+1)16:00 ETNaN:� BRT, March 18, 2023 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 17,171 |
Oilers, Kraken clash in crucial Pacific Division matchup
Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken
- The Oilers won two of the first three games with the Kraken this season, including a 7-2 romp on Dec. 30 in the only meeting in Seattle. In three games at Climate Pledge Arena, Edmonton is 4-for-8 on the power play, while the Kraken are 0-for-8.
- The Oilers never trailed in Thursday's 4-1 victory over Dallas, their fourth in five games. They've won 10 of their last 11 road games against Pacific Division opponents to improve to 17-4-0 over the last two seasons.
- Connor McDavid on Thursday recorded his 16th multi-point effort in the last 23 games. He has 12 goals and 10 assists during a 12-game point streak against Pacific Division teams and is tied with teammate Leon Draisaitl for the most points (12) by an opponent against Seattle.
- The Kraken snapped a three-game winless streak Thursday with a 2-1 triumph at San Jose on Vince Dunn's goal 1:58 into overtime. At 1-4-1, they're mired in their worst six-game home stretch of the season.
- Vince Dunn's overtime winner on Thursday extended his point streak to a career-best 11 games (four goals, 12 assists). He's the first defenseman with two point streaks of at least nine games in a single season since Mike Green had three in 2009-10.
- Zach Hyman, who's missed the last two games, has three goals and four assists during a three-game point streak against Seattle. He needs one goal to give the Oilers four 30-goal scorers in the same season for the first time since 1989-90 (Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and Esa Tikkanen).
The NHL might as well start engraving the Art Ross Trophy, because nobody is catching Edmonton's Connor McDavid for the scoring title.
Already with 131 points, the Oilers star has a whopping 30 more than anyone else in the league, and his 57 goals are 11 more than any other player.
His point total is already the most in the NHL in more than a quarter century (since Mario Lemieux totaled 161 in 1996), and McDavid will try to add to his total Saturday afternoon in Seattle when the Oilers (38-28-8, 84 points) face the host Kraken (38-23-7, 83 points).
McDavid scored his NHL-leading 57th goal and added an assist Thursday in the Oilers' 4-1 victory over visiting Dallas.
"We're getting to the point in the season where it's almost like coaches step back and the players (take over)," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "You give them a plan and hold people accountable but we're getting to the players' time of year here."
Mattias Janmark scored twice and Evan Bouchard had a pair of assists Thursday for Edmonton, which has won two straight and four of its past five games. Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced.
"We are always hungry to continue to get better," Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "We can definitely take some good pieces from that game and build on them. That is a good sign for us here. We have a lot of important hockey coming up."
The Oilers are in third place, a point ahead of Seattle in the Pacific Division, though the Kraken have a game in hand.
Seattle snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) with a 2-1 overtime victory Thursday in San Jose.
Vince Dunn scored the winner to extend his points streak to a franchise-record 11 games (four goals, 12 assists). Dunn is the third defenseman to have an 11-game run this season, joining San Jose's Erik Karlsson and Winnipeg's Josh Morrissey.
Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist for the Kraken and goalie Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves.
"There was a will to him," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said of Dunn. "You can see his confidence offensively with the puck. At times he controlled some of the play, and maybe fitting that he was the guy to make the play on the winning goal."
This will be the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the teams. The Oilers have a 2-1-0 edge in the season series, including a 7-2 victory Dec. 30 at Seattle. McDavid has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the three games.
"Coming up is a pretty big test," Grubauer said. "We are playing teams that are even with us in the standings."
Seattle's Matty Beniers is tied for the NHL's rookie goal-scoring lead with 19 this season. Dallas' Wyatt Johnston pulled even with Beniers with the Stars' lone goal in Thursday's loss in Edmonton.
The Oilers hope to get forward Zach Hyman back after he sat out the previous two games with an undisclosed injury. Hyman had a goal and two assists against the Kraken in a 5-2 home victory on Jan. 17.
Seattle posted a 5-2 victory at Edmonton on Jan. 3, rallying from a two-goal deficit. Jaden Schwartz had a goal and two assists.
--Field Level Media
Updated March 17, 2023
© 2023 by STATS PERFORM.Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS PERFORM is strictly prohibited.